


My Family, My Pride ; My Sin, My Burden

by CoyoteStarrksAss



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: And bein emotionally fuckin stunted now, Angst, At the beginnin and the end hehe, Diavolo's dad is here, Each character is listed in how i view them to have been born, Excluding diavolo anyway, From Lucifer's end abt the others, Lilith is rlly only mentioned, Mammon and him have a bondin moment tho, Regret, Simeon has a bigger part than Diavolo tbh, Somewhat, Theres not much else to tag actually, ig ?, technically two, uhhhhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:00:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25118014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoyoteStarrksAss/pseuds/CoyoteStarrksAss
Summary: Nearly 13,000 words offering some explanation on the circumstances surrounding Lucifer's siblings' births, their consequent fall, and how all of that even came about for them, with some minor details of other things hinted at in-between.Or, as it was originally only supposed to be: Lucifer meeting his brothers, and slowly growing to realize that not only had he always wanted them, but they always wanted him.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 85





	My Family, My Pride ; My Sin, My Burden

**Author's Note:**

> I refuse to type anything for the next several months
> 
> Started this 5 July, finished 6 July. Literally ignored everything just to write this, only taking a few breaks when I couldnt 1) see, 2) think, or C) had to eat. 
> 
> I am kinda proud of it tho :V
> 
> I hate the title it has but it's stayin for now.

Lucifer has never considered children to be burdens. 

Not inherently, at least. Now, taking _care_ of a child? _That_ was a burden, in his eyes. As an angel, directly under his own father, his own god, and leading legions of angels behind him, he simply had no extra effort to give to a child. 

Children were good in theory, not in practice. 

_"That is why I am giving you this brother,"_ the angel recalled his father saying mere hours before, referring to the bundle of blankets and baby wings that was now being held in Lucifer's arms. _"So you may learn that charity is what we as heavenly beings are to always give to others, even if we do not care for them. Whether that be entirely or not, you will learn that we give from our heart, not from our mind._

_"Your charity is renowned throughout the three worlds, Lucifer, but now you must extend it to those beyond whom you normally concern yourself with. I am entrusting you to take care of him well."_

Lucifer had wanted to balk at the idea; he had wanted to protest, to argue, to back out of… Whatever this was. He had no clue what his father was thinking; and what had the whole charity thing been about? He was the Angelic Virtue of Humility, not of Charity. 

_Don't tell me…_ Lucifer scowled, looking down at the bundle, the baby, in his arms. 

_Don't tell me Father wants me to **raise** the Virtue of Charity. _

The baby's eyes were wide open, lazily rolling around to try and take in the sights around him. A beautiful cerulean blue, there was the slightest hint of gold towards the bottom of his irises, and they looked so curious of everything. There was the smallest tuft of white hair poking out from beneath the blanket the baby was in, curling against his forehead. His skin, when Lucifer brought his finger to it gently, was soft to the touch. 

The action of touch made the baby look up at Lucifer; cerulean eyes meeting pale red. Curious meeting hesitant. They stared at one another, both still as they searched the other's face. 

And that's when he did it- 

Small plump lips broke out into a smile, and the baby - his brother, _Lucifer's_ brother - giggled up at him. Coincidentally, at the same moment, the sun came over the horizon, its soft golden glow, its gentle warmth, washed over Lucifer, his six white wings involuntarily unfurling behind his back in reaction. They had been tense, closed in tightly to his back, only moments before. 

Lucifer couldn't help it; that singular sound had reminded him of the heavenly choirs he so loved to listen to, that greeted him every time he entered his father's kingdom. A single voice, a _single_ new voice, had mirrored hundreds of old voices in all but a second. He brought his wings around himself, making sure the baby's eyes were covered from the bright light, unsure if it would hurt him but worried all the same. 

"What is this feeling?" Lucifer allowed himself to wonder aloud, comforted by the fact that he was alone, on his own balcony, to do so. "What are you meant to do to me?"

The baby once again smiled, as if knowing what he was asking and answering in the only way he was able. In a way, it was as if Lucifer _had_ been answered; a warmth blossomed in his chest, and he held the baby tighter to him, careful not to smother him. 

_I will love you; I will love you and care for you as our Father did for me. I will teach you things, teach you of our worlds…_

_I wonder how you will grow into your Virtue. How you will grow into your heavenly ways._

For the first time in his long, arduous life, Lucifer understood what it was like to want to help find someone else's place in this world.

* * *

It had been a century since Lucifer's first brother, the second, was born. Just as before, his father had called him to his palace, refusing to give details as to why he was summoned. 

(Sometimes, Lucifer so disliked that his father was vague; why could he just not be forthright? Did he not trust Lucifer?) 

Once again, Lucifer was burdened, entrusted, with raising another child. 

_"Your kindness is limitless, Lucifer, but it is bound. As you are the eldest, I expect more. Take this brother I give you, and learn what it is like to unbind yourself from your own thoughts."_

_What all does Father want me to learn from this?_ Lucifer asked himself as he watched the now second oldest, who was little more than out of his child years, hold the third addition to their family. 

_How many brothers will Father create? What is the purpose? I learned these values long ago._

"Look, Lucifer; he's opening his eyes." The second oldest spoke quickly and excitedly, but it was hushed, worried about disturbing their new brother's peace. Lucifer was grateful, for he was not fond of babies crying. 

This brother differed from Lucifer and the second; born with a full head of hair, the strands were bright blue, and nearly fell into his eyes. The eyes, at least, were somewhat similar to the second's, in that instead of being blue with gold flecks, they were orange with blue flecks toward the bottom. Entirely different to Lucifer, but he would win where he could; though strands of black had begun to appear sometime within the time the second had been born, Lucifer and the second still shared the same head of white hair. 

"Look at that; his eyes are almost like mine, just inverted!" The second exclaimed happily, looking up to the first with a sparkle in his eye. 

That sparkle… That innocent happiness that came with a new person to love. To care for. To teach. That was the second's charity: he had an excess of things to give, and give he did. And give he would to this new brother, just as he gave to Lucifer. His attention, his understanding, his knowledge, they were all things the second would give. 

And Lucifer? 

_What will I give?_

He looked back down to the third brother, _his_ second brother, and held the little one's gaze. 

"They sure are like yours, aren't they?" He mused, a small smile coming to his features. Just as with the second, that warmth blossomed in his chest once again, noting how the third smiled back at them both. 

"We'll have to make sure to protect him with all we have; he's our younger brother, after all."

_That's what I will give: my protection. My care. Just as I gave to the second, I will give to you. For that is what you deserve, for I am the oldest, and you the youngest._

_And as the oldest, I will protect you both with my life._

Understanding, was what Lucifer would give. 

The understanding that, as the eldest, he was the protector. The one who set standards. 

"Of course we will! After all, who better to protect him but you, the greatest of all angels? You're Father's favourite, after all!"

_The favourite._

How Lucifer didn't know, then, how great of an impact he had on their Father. 

* * *

Two centuries since the second was born, Lucifer was entrusted, once again, to a brother. His two brothers were the ones to receive the gift of a fourth life to their family. 

Regretfully, Lucifer had been out on assignment when their Father had chosen to create this new life, and thus he had not been able to be the first to hold the fourth. 

(To this day, he resents his father for that injustice, as one of the many injustices he feels his father, his god, committed. He had long since outgrown his distaste in handling children by then, why had he not waited for Lucifer to return home?) 

As he reenters the kingdom of his father, Lucifer notes how many angels are turning their heads to him, whispered words and looks being exchanged as they try to scurry along and out of his way. For some reason, he feels a part of himself well up with worry; with how they are acting, he is suspicious. 

His thoughts immediately turn to his brothers, and in a flash, he's bursting into the palace, running through halls to try to find them. When he finally locates the second, he cries out for him, but stops himself mid-yell when he realizes he's once again holding a small bundle, the third next to him as well as another angel, one Lucifer is greatly familiar with and brings him great relief to see. 

"Simeon," he greets the other angel, trying to capture his breath. "What brings you here? Why're you with my brothers?" 

The angel, perhaps half a century older than him, smiles gently at Lucifer, urging the second and third brother forward just as gently. He's calm, happiness shining in his blue eyes.

(Lucifer notes how much more he looks like the second than he does; Simeon and the second share dark skin, despite Simeon's being a tad darker, and their eyes are nearly similar shades of blue. Simeon even has a yellow gradient to his eyes, not too much further from gold than Lucifer's brothers'. He finds himself envious the longer he looks at him, but he suppresses the feeling; he's a creature of humility, and he will let himself accept his nature. Thus, he must accept that he and the second don't share some features. 

He knows there will be a new patch of black strands in his once full white hair when he checks next, however.)

"Your brothers were summoned by Father, and I happened to be passing them after they went to see him." Simeon explained. Despite the happiness still on his face, his eyes looked Lucifer up and down with sympathy; Simeon was well-adept to Lucifer's feelings, unfortunately, and while Lucifer trusted he wouldn't tell a soul, he knew Simeon wasn't a fool, nor ignorant as his brothers were. 

"Your new brother is surely a sight to behold." He continued, gesturing to the bundle. "Your third brother, and fourth of you all… Father is looking to fill all seven Heavenly Virtues as they were filled in the old days, it seems."

"Don't presume to know Father's intentions, Simeon," Lucifer warned, though he had his thoughts on the topic, as well. Instead of dwelling on them, he accepted the bundle from the second, leaning down slightly so the third could still see him (a quiet angel, the third was, though Lucifer could tell that he was simply waiting for Simeon, an angel the third was unfamiliar with, to leave so he could truly get excited). 

"The Heavenly Virtues are nothing more than titles. Even if he _has_ created us in lieu of them, he's surely not looking to do so consciously. I'm still the only one with such a title, and if you recall, it is _Angelic_ Virtue in which I am called."

"'Angelic' and 'Heavenly' are practically synonymous, though," the second pointed out, looking up to Lucifer. "I'm sure it's just a coincidence, anyway. Like you said, you're the only one with the title."

"Exactly." Lucifer nodded, but he thought back to the time in which the second had been born, when he had pondered if his father was giving him a Virtue to raise when he created the second. If Lucifer thought about it, the second would surely hit the context of one of the Virtues; the Virtue of Charity, as he had thought many times upon seeing the second interact with the others of the Celestial Realm. 

_With that as the case, I wonder what my second brother will show himself to be…_ Lucifer mused, briefly glancing to the third before looking back down at the sleeping fourth. The third was still too young to tell which Virtue he would embody; the second's traits had already begun showing at his age, but one couldn't account for them all showing traits at the same time. It had taken many moons for Lucifer to be named as a Virtue himself. 

Simeon came to Lucifer's shoulder, his own nearly bumping against it, and looked down at the fourth as well, chuckling slightly. 

"He's absolutely beautiful. I almost didn't believe it when they told me, but Father really _did_ create him with your beauty in mind."

Lucifer resisted the urge to both flush and roll his eyes, instead raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that? What does my beauty have to do with anything?"

"You don't know?" The second said a bit incredulously, his own eyebrows rising. "You've been considered the most _beautiful_ angel for a long time, Lucifer!"

"But Father knows beauty is a weapon," the third cut in, voice timid but gentle. "So he said that he was giving you another beautiful brother, so your beauty doesn't get to your head."

 _My beauty getting to **my** head?_ Lucifer nearly snapped aloud, arms twitching as his mood shifted. _I've never given my looks a second thought! What- what kind of-_

Simeon's hand came to Lucifer's shoulder, disturbing his thoughts. He played the action off as him getting nearer to the baby, however, twirling the pinkish-blonde hair that was visibly in his fingers. 

"His eyes were such a pretty colour, Lucifer, you really were just a few moments too late," Simeon cooed apologetically, whispering a small prayer above the baby's head. "Hopefully he'll awaken soon, and you can see them." 

Simeon straightened, and reached out to ruffle the second's and third's hair, smiling at them both. 

"Now, you four all take care, alright?" He chuckled, keeping the mood airy as to distract the boys. As annoying as his penchant for sensing Lucifer's thoughts were, he was glad he knew just how to keep them from extending to his brothers; _immediately_ extending to them, anyway. There were _some_ incidents… 

"Of course, Simeon!" The second grinned, looking up at him. "Are you already going off again? Another lost soul to bring in?"

"Something like that," Simeon replied, holding a finger to his lips. "Should I cross into it, I'll be sure to bring each of you something new from the human world~"

The second and third gasped, the third too excited with this promise to be shy for the moment; each of them had been to the human world, Lucifer more than, once, and they had been intrigued with the realm since. 

" ** _Really_**?! Oh, you're the best, Simeon!" The boys exclaimed happily, making Lucifer smile and shake his head as Simeon, once again, always in good spirits, laughed. 

"It'll be our little secret, so be sure to keep it." He told them, moving aside so as to leave. "Farewell, brothers."

"Bye~" the third waved, taking hold of the second's hand. The second grabbed it and held it lovingly, raising the other to wave. 

"Be safe!" The second said, then turning to the third to whisper something. It made the third smile mischievously but quickly attempt to hide it, and as they met Lucifer's inquiring eyes, they both stuck their tongues out at him before taking off in the direction opposite to him.

"Last one to the room has to change the fourth's diapers for a year!" The second yelled, already readying to turn a corner. Lucifer started, holding the still-slumbering baby in his arms. 

"Why- you little punks!" Lucifer called out after them, grinning as they laughed but ignored him. He watched after them, only staying in place because he noticed that Simeon, too, had not yet moved. Even though he was smiling after the boys, when they turned the corner into another hall, it quickly fell, his eyes quickly going to Lucifer. 

"You need to reign your protesting thoughts in when you're around them," Simeon said, tone warning. He wasn't angry, however; Simeon was not an angel easily angered. In fact, in all the years Lucifer had been around him, he'd never actually _seen_ him so much as twitch out of anger. 

It seemed that all angels weren't blessed with such patience. 

"You can have your thoughts in private, but around them? You can cause them to start doubting things themselves, even if you never voice them aloud. You have to be careful, Lucifer; we can't afford to have _any_ of you fall."

"What do you mean by that?" Lucifer scoffed, flinching as he did. While he would never attack Simeon, verbally speaking back to a superior angel was considered an offense, one that caused pain to course through the body. The more superior the angel, the more painful it would be. And while Lucifer _was_ the most beloved angel in Heaven, was the angel given the most opportunities, and _was_ the highest ranked in his father's court, it didn't matter when Simeon was superior to him in age. 

"When I said that Father may be trying to recreate the Heavenly Virtues; well, perhaps 'recreate' was the wrong word." Simeon thought for a moment, a hand on his chin. "There's not much point in recreating what is inherently already here. Maybe… Make a reality. Yes, that seems better."

Lucifer narrowed his eyes, holding his brother to him a bit more. He suddenly felt like he had to protect the small baby. 

"That's more words than 'recreate' is." He said dryly. 

"Yes, but I think it's what he's planning. Think on it, Lucifer; why is it that he's suddenly interested in 'teaching' you things? Father has a very strict way of creation; we follow him, and learn from other angels, not him."

Simeon pointed down the hallway, in the direction the other two brothers had gone.

"Those boys have powerful energy, powerful _magic_ , Lucifer; the second's nearly rivals your own, and he's centuries younger. Has it not worried you, what Father may be planning to do with creations nearly as strong as you?"

Simeon sighed, shaking his head. "I have my point here: I have your doubts. I have your reservations. But keep them _away_ from your brothers. In creating them to teach you, they may also _learn_ from you, and if they learn how to protest and doubt Father at a young age…"

Simeon trailed off, shaking his head. Lucifer understood what he was getting to, however; many angels in the past had protested his father, and it had never ended well. 

If such a thing happened to his brothers… Especially because of something _he_ may have made them feel… 

Lucifer again held the fourth closer, setting his jaw. 

"I see what you mean, Simeon," he muttered, "and I will do what I can to curb these thoughts around them. 

"I can't, however, promise anything." He added, turning away from the other.

Simeon was silent for a moment, also turning away, down the other end of the hallway. 

"I don't want to go against you, Lucifer." He told him quietly. Lucifer's red eyes narrowed. 

"I never said you would."

"If you continue down this road, I fear we may one day find ourselves in that situation."

"Then deal with it any way you would another angel." Lucifer sighed, beginning to walk away. He left Simeon to himself, not wanting to dwell on the subject any longer. 

He had a new brother to get to know now, after all. 

When he had successfully gotten some ways away from Simeon, Lucifer stopped himself and looked down at his third brother, the fourth in total of them all, and nearly jumped in surprise:

His eyes were open, staring up at Lucifer. They were a pretty reddish-yellow colour, and when Lucifer noticed his stare, the baby giggled, as the second had when they first looked at each other. His giggle broke into a yawn, however, his little body wiggling within his pink blankets as he stretched. 

The baby's face twitched for a moment as a droplet of water fell onto his cheek. He looked back up to Lucifer, and in the same moment, Lucifer realized that he was crying. 

_When did this happen? When did I…?_

He couldn't finish his own thought. He couldn't dare. He knew the answer to his own questions, anyway:

His hard exterior, the one he had gained from centuries of being a warrior, a soldier, undoubtedly under his father's command, had crumbled, and been crumbling still, since the moment when the second brother had opened his eyes to Lucifer. As he held his new brother now, he felt that familiar warmth, what he finally began to recognize as pride. 

Yes, he was _proud_. _Proud_ to be an older brother, to be the _eldest_ brother. He was _proud_ to have a family. 

"Hey, Lucifer, what's-" the second's voice called out, and he and the third made their presences known by coming out of one hall into the one Lucifer had brought himself to. As their heads came around the corner and they caught sight of his tears, they stopped, both of their faces adopting a look of concern. 

"Big brother? Are you-" the third began to say, but before he could finish, Lucifer had come to them and collected them both into his arms, still holding onto the fourth, and hugged all three of them close. 

"Uh, Lucifer?" The second tried again, startled but hugging him back. He was worried, worried about startling the third. He didn't yet understand the situation. 

"I promise you," Lucifer swore, kissing all three of their heads. "I, as your eldest brother, promise that I will _always_ protect all of you. That includes anyone Father plans on adding to us; _I'll be the one to protect us_. And I'll protect you from _anyone_." 

The two brothers capable of speech were silent for a moment, the only sound that of the fourth stretching in his blankets still. His small hands found themselves out of the bundle, and he aimlessly reached out for any of them. The second grabbed one hand, and third the other. 

"We knew that, Lucifer." The third said softly, looking up at him. "We've always known."

Lucifer didn't respond, for he had always worried that he didn't show such feelings as much as he could. While it hadn't been enough to make him show them _more_ than he did, the worry was still _there_. 

_Perhaps I've changed more than I even realize._

_Changed to **what** is the question, however. _

"Just as you'll protect us, _I'll_ protect us, too!" The second promised, backing up a bit to ball a fist. "I'm the second oldest, so I get to protect us when you aren't here! I promise, none of us will ever be hurt when I'm here, too!"

He looked down to the fourth, pressing his hands to the rosy cheeks. He smiled, but his eyes held the same determination that Lucifer felt. 

"We'll be okay." He said a bit quieter, voice evident that he was promising this to not just Lucifer and the third, but also to the fourth. The third nodded his agreement, looking just as determined. 

Lucifer was glad for them, was glad that they shared his sentiment;

With how his patience and feelings with their father were running, he was afraid that the time in which he had to hold true to the statement of "protecting them from _anyone_ " was coming all too quickly. 

He just prayed that he could keep his control. 

* * *

Three centuries since the second had been born. 

(Lucifer regrets how he's forgotten their heavenly names. They were not always who they were; their father had chosen their names specifically, but, as they had fallen, they had each forgotten them. Lucifer was the only one who had kept his name.) 

Three centuries, and that's when Lucifer truly saw what Simeon had warned him of that day the fourth had been born. For just before he was called to gather the next brother, the second was brought into Lucifer's room by two of his fellow soldiers, the second looking guilty as the other two stood at attention to Lucifer. 

"Lord Lucifer, we have bad news to report." The one on the second's left started. 

"Your brother has committed his first sin."

Lucifer's hands stilled where they'd been polishing a weapon of his. His heart sank, but he didn't turn around just yet. He wanted to hear what was said, then do what he had long ago decided to do in this situation.

"Which was?" 

He could hear the two angels pause, obviously not expecting such a lax reaction from him. Nonetheless, they continued on, nerves settling as they remembered their duties. 

"He has committed an act of Greed." The one on the right answered. They went on to explain just what the act in specificity was, but Lucifer, his anger rising, interrupted them. 

"Tell me; did any see you enter this room? Were you ordered here, or capture him in the act? And better yet, did anyone _else_ witness the act?"

Silence befell them all. Lucifer's hackles raised as he waited. There was a fissure forming in him, he could feel it, but he didn't care; his brother's life was on the line. It didn't matter what he did. 

"No one else witnessed the act, my Lord, it was only us," the one on the left continued on. Lucifer could hear the second inhale sharply. "We came to you as soon as-"

Their statement was never finished, because Lucifer had already reached out and thrust his hand out towards them, chanting a short spell. In no time at all, the soldiers both burst into flame, burning only for a quick moment before the flames died out from existence, taking the angels with them. 

The second was startled, unsure of whether to look beside him or at his brother. "Lucif-!"

Lucifer took his second brother by the shoulders, pulling him to himself as he hugged him tightly, pulling his wings around them both. The second gave a small yelp at being manhandled, but found that all his words died in his throat as he noticed that some of the feathers in Lucifer's wings were changing colours; from pure white to dark, starless night black. 

"I told you; I will protect us from _anyone_." Lucifer whispered to him, hand carded through the second's hair. He pulled him back, however, and made their gazes meet, seriousness thick on his features. 

"Listen to me- something is happening, and I have the sneaking suspicion that we've been forced to play a part in a game we have no business joining." Lucifer said warningly, shaking his head. "Do you recall what Simeon said the day our fourth brother was born?" 

After a few moments, the second nodded. He was frantically searching Lucifer's face, but he answered him as calmly as he could. 

"That he thinks Father wanted to recreate the Heavenly Virtues. You told him not to guess Father's intentions." 

"That's right, my brother, but I think he had a point; Simeon is an angel capable of sensing what one wants, what one thinks, and I think he was _warning_ us. I know for sure that he was warning _me_."

"You? But what for?" 

"I've been doubting our Father; he… He is not the god he used to be. He has… Changed."

Lucifer shook his head, not wanting to think too long on the prospect. 

"It matters not. The thing is, my brother, is that I think you all have been created _not_ to teach me the core values; no, if Father wanted me to learn those for what they were, he could have asked any other angel to do so, not create new ones himself."

"There-" the second interrupted, getting ahead of his brother. When Lucifer hesitated, he continued. "There was someone, some years ago; I heard them talking. About _us_. They said that Father hadn't bothered to create angels of his own hand in a _millennia_ before you were born."

Lucifer's heart sank even further, but he nodded gravely, his grip on his beloved brother's shoulders tightening. 

"It's true; I may have been created centuries before even you, but I don't think Father planned to create you three after me. I think he _planned_ to have me be…"

Lucifer sighed, head beginning to hurt. "I don't even know _what_ he's planned me to be. Or us, for that matter, but I assure you, we are part of something. It's worrying, to say the least.

"Which is why I did what I just did, my brother- don't even tell the others. This is between us, and us alone. Your first sin is nothing when you haven't had an argument or protest against Father. You won't show any signs, so long as you don't give in anymore."

"Anymore… But what if…" the second trailed off, looking away. Lucifer's worst fear was coming to reality; this wasn't the first time his brother had sinned. 

"Again; you haven't protested against Father, so there's not so harsh of a punishment." Lucifer assured him, bringing him close once again. "By Heaven, my brother, I… I'm sorry."

"You? What for? I'm the one who sinned." The second whined, his arms finally coming around Lucifer. He seemed ready to cry; any other time, the eldest would be angry about such a prospect, but right now, it gave him hope. Hope that perhaps his brother could be saved. 

Himself, on the other hand, wasn't going to be so easy. Not with his feathers now being what turned black (which, he reminded himself, he would have to hide, whether completely or with illusionary magic). 

"Just trust me, my brother. I'm sorry; all I can promise now is that I will go to any length to protect us." 

Lucifer had planned on saying more, but just then, there was a knock on his door, making them both jump. Hurriedly, he folded his wings into his back, encouraged the second to do the same, and opened the door. Another angel greeted him. 

"Father requests your presence, Lord Lucifer." The angel informed him, nodding his head to the second. "Please go to him as soon as you can."

 _I can guess what it's for, now, but what in Heaven's name could he give as an explanation now?_ Lucifer thought, holding the door tight within his hand. 

"Lu…?" The second muttered, reaching a hand out to him. 

"I'll be there." He told the angel before turning to the second.

"Go to our third brother, won't you?" He asked of him, putting a convincingly apologetic smile on his lips. "Seems I won't be able to help you locate what you've lost, after all, but he might be better at finding it, anyway. He's always been great at helping."

The second, bless him, caught on quickly, nodding as he smiled. 

"No worries, brother, thanks for offering to. I'll see you when you come back from Father." 

And with that, the second pushed past the angel, and was out into the hall quicker than Lucifer expected. Internally sighing, he too went past the other angel and in the direction he knew his father would be in, knowing he most likely hadn't left his throne room. 

_He never has left that room in nearly all my life._

Pushing open the large doors to the throne room, Lucifer entered as he always did; shoulders tensed, chin high, and refusing to make eye contact with those around him. He wasn't interested in them; he was here for his father, and his father only. There was no time for small-talk and conversations between gazes. 

Lucifer bows before his father, not getting to his knees like others would. It's a small act of rebellion, and it hurts like hell, but his father is used to it by now. The others of the court say nothing. So long as Lucifer is loved by his father, they won't. 

(He hasn't realized, then, just how thin his father's patience with him actually is.)

To Lucifer's surprise, two bundles containing a baby are thrust into Lucifer's arms. The blankets are red (the second's had been gold; the third's orange) and purple this time, and he can see orange strands of hair just beginning to grow atop the small head of the one in the red blankets. The baby in the purple blankets has no hair yet at all, but his eyes are wide open, their gentle purple-pink gradient colour softly reflecting the light from above them. 

Lucifer's chest is warm again, but it's stronger than ever before; his father created twins. He has twin brothers to take care of now. 

"Lucifer," his father addresses him, "your ability to not recklessly attack others unlike yourself and to listen to their explanations, whereas others here would not grant them such hesitance, is commendable. In fact, one could say that there is nothing I am looking to teach you, this once; take the brother who slumbers as your reward for being merciful."

 _"Reward." As if he is a **gift** instead of a **person**._ Lucifer thought bitterly, biting the inside of his cheek to avoid saying so. Instead, he holds the bundle closer, and nods curtly. 

There's no words he has for his father, not this time. His father's eyes narrow, but he continues on all the same. 

"The brother who is wide awake to this world, however, is intended to be a lesson. Your personal determination and perseverance are just that; personal. Learn from him, and cast your personal thoughts aside for who you were meant to have them overshadowed by." 

Lucifer can't help what follows that. He holds his brothers tight, eyes flashing at his father. 

"My determination is everything _but_ personal." He argued, leveling his gaze to his father's. The angels around him tense. 

"My determination lies with my brothers; I am determined to raise them well, and see them grow and be successful. Just because my determination is no longer with _you_ does _not_ mean it is personal."

His father's eyes flash at him, his hand tightening on where it rests on the arm of his chair. 

"Do not take such a tone with **_me_** , boy." His father all but spits at him, voice terrifyingly low. The mood has changed so quickly, Lucifer's new brothers squirm in their blankets, curling into him as if to get away from their father. 

"Don't think you can disobey me. I am your **_father_** , your **_god_**. 

"I will forgive you, as I always do, but be warned, Lucifer Morningstar; _you will, one day, be punished_."

His father stopped there, but there was a silent threat tacked on to the end: 

_Make sure you do not take your precious brothers with you._

Lucifer said nothing, knowing his father would react however he wished, and instead turned on his heel and took his leave, going to where he assumes his other brothers to be to introduce them to their newest additions. He finds them where he thought he would; in the garden of the palace, where the fourth was often found, and if the second had gotten Lucifer's insinuations of what he had wanted him to do, then he and the third would also be here, too. Thankfully, the second had brought them, and as Lucifer walked up to them, the fourth gathered up the angel children that he often took care of (he would bring them to the garden, because he so loved children and enjoyed taking care of them, and he often taught them on how to grow things here) and ushered them off into the building adjacent to the palace, created with the intent to be used as a schoolhouse way back when Lucifer had been a child (which is more or less how the fourth now used it himself). 

"Is that-?" The third began to say, coming to Lucifer's side to get a closer look. His eyes, too, widened in surprise as he saw not _one_ but _two_ brothers. "They're _twins_?!"

"Twins?" The fourth repeated in confusion, coming over and standing on tiptoes to get a good look for himself. Of them all, he was the shortest, which Lucifer found amusing to no end.

Sadly, he wasn't laughing as of now. 

"They don't look too alike…" the second mumbled in protest, making Lucifer give a short chuckle. 

"You hardly look the same as me, brother, and you're the second oldest. We can't account for all of us to look similarly."

Lucifer then frowned, allowed the third and fourth to each grab a bundle before he balled his fists. 

"My worst fears are becoming reality," he started off, running a hand angrily through his hair. As of now, about half of it was black, the white looking to only be underneath it all. 

(There wasn't hiding what was happening to Lucifer when it came to this, but he often passed it off as him "trying out a new hair colour" when he was asked that most bought as an excuse. Humans had been changing their hair colour for several centuries now, and angels all over had been getting into the fad, so it was now an effective excuse, thankfully.)

"With these two twins, and with how Father would give explanations for each of you on why you were created, I think Simeon was right; we were created with the sole purpose of acting as the Heavenly Virtues."

" ** _Huh_**?!" The third exclaimed in shock, the fourth matching his expression. 

"The Heavenly Virtues? But aren't you titled as an _Angelic_ Virtue?" He asked, an eyebrow raised as a hand came to his mouth. The second brother clicked his tongue, shaking his head. 

"Father may have named Lucifer so just to throw him off," he explained, spreading his hands. "I pointed it out when Simeon brought it up, but _Angelic_ and _Heavenly_ are practically synonymous. It's enough to take attention away from it, however, and the difference could be a nod at how Father is acknowledging a new era. The angels from when the Heavenly Virtues were created are not here any longer. Father's practically the only one left."

"Then… That means we were born with some type of motive in Father's mind." The third noted, sounding crestfallen. "Even more so than we already were. I mean, we _were_ created to 'teach' Lucifer."

"I now wonder if that was all simply so I wouldn't catch on to what he was doing…" Lucifer mused, eyes narrowing. "But that backfired quickly, because I correctly guessed that you," he pointed to the second, "were the Angelic Virtue of Charity when you were given to me. The fact that Father titled you so not even forty years ago now is all the evidence we need."

"But _why_?" The fourth shook his head, now bouncing on his feet a bit. He had grabbed the brother with no hair, the one who had been wide awake when given to Lucifer, and the fourth was now attempting to make the baby smile. 

"Why would Father need the Virtues personified? There's no telling that there were any when they were first created, why try to do so now?"

After they all were silent for some time, Lucifer simply shook his head, looking back down to the twin boys.

"Right now, we just need to keep ourselves within Father's grace." He suggested, placing a hand on each baby's head. "For their sake. I protested against Father again, my anger getting the best of me, and it's better that we try not to test his patience again for some time."

"For some time? Do you mean to say…?" The fourth started, but Lucifer placed a hand on his head as well, smiling sadly at him. 

"Leave the details of things to me, my brother," he told him, leaning down to press their foreheads together. "As I've always said, I'll protect us. I don't care who it is, if they oppose us, I _will_ take care of them."

"But Lu, even _you_ can't stand up to Father!" The third protested, shaking his head. "All of us _together_ might not even be enough!"

"Not as we are _now_ ," Lucifer agreed, setting his jaw. "But given time? If push comes to shove, I _will_ take action."

Looking back to the twins once again, he gathered his brothers to him, each of them hugging tightly together. 

_I will **not** let harm come to them._ Lucifer promised himself, looking at the now both-slumbering twins. 

_As they are the youngest, they are absolutely the ones we must protect the most._

* * *

Six centuries since the second was born, Lucifer was once again surprised. 

For three centuries, the brothers had managed to go about their heavenly home with little to no hitch, despite the fact that the brothers, each, fell into their own habits of sin on occasion. Lucifer was always the first to be told, after the third's envious attack on another angel nearly gave everything away. After that, he had instructed the brothers to tell him when they felt themselves devolving into opposite thoughts of how they normally would think.

They had thought they had found a system, after they were all finally titled; the third, the Angelic Virtue of Kindness; the fourth, the Angelic Virtue of Charity; the fifth, the twin in which had been classified as a "gift" to Lucifer, the Angelic Virtue of Temperance; and the sixth, the twin who had been born wide awake, the Angelic Virtue of Diligence. They each acted according to their Virtue, finding their niche within the Celestial Realm.

But as each brother found their ways to be holy, Lucifer further fell from his own. Until, one day, the second noted, with the fourth, how he had something besides his wings attached to his back. 

"If I could damn him without him hearing of it, I'd damn Father right now." Lucifer seethed, sitting on his bed as the second and fourth worried over his naked back.

"Well, the good thing, at least, is that this means your wings won't have black feathers in them." The fourth tried to cheer him up, gently pressing a hand to his shoulder. 

"What're we going to tell the others?" The second asked, shaking his head. "It's not right to keep this from them. Besides, maybe they might be able to help."

"I highly doubt so." Lucifer replied tightly, reaching into his reserves of patience so he didn't snap at the second. 

"Wait! Whatever you just did, Lu!" The fourth exclaimed as the second jumped away, from what Lucifer could feel. He tried to turn his head to look at them, confused at their outbursts. 

"I didn't do _anything_ ," he said, shaking his head. However, he _had_ , just not _physically_. 

_Don't tell me…_

"Just- you've never been one for people looking at your back, right?" The fourth continued on, pressing a hand to the middle of his spine. It made Lucifer's skin crawl, but he again resisted the urge to snap at his brothers. 

"What the- Is it _moving_?" The second asked, almost sounding disgusted. "It's like… Like it's made of _shadows_. That's…"

Shadows wouldn't take the black from the feathers of his wings, Lucifer knew, but he was greatly intrigued now. Looking to the fourth brother, he did his best to not get annoyed with the look of fascination on his face. 

For whatever reason that Fate decided it so, that was the final move needed, and a pressure Lucifer hadn't realized was on his back _lifted_ in a matter of seconds, a black ball of what looked to be pure shadowy mass began to dart about the room, as if looking for a way out.

"Uh, _Lucifer_?" The second sounded scared, and even the fourth looked unsure of what to do, but as Lucifer stood to get a better look himself, the mass took to shooting around the room again, knocking things over and breaking the glass of Lucifer's mirror. 

"Wha- Hey! Stop that thing!" 

"I'm _attempting_ to, but that- it nearly knocked me _over_!"

"There! Lucifer!"

" ** _Ow_** , brother, that _hurt_!"

"I'm sorry, I'm-! _Watch it_!"

As the mass attempted to barrel itself into the second brother, Lucifer all but ready to vaporize it from existence, the fourth stepped in front of him, holding his wings and arms out as the mass fell right into him, bringing his limbs around him and it as he tried to calm it down. 

"Wh- Hey, isn't that thing…?" The second tried, but Lucifer held a hand up to him, signaling for him to fall silent. The fourth brother was gently cooing to the mass, voice gentler than Lucifer had ever heard him use, even for the children he cared for. 

"Hey there, little one," the fourth told it, watching it closely as the mass undulated in his arms. Despite the uncomfortable positioning, he smiled down at it, voice calm and collected. He was in control of the situation. 

"There's no need to panic. You must be scared now that we've taken you from where you were created, huh? Don't worry; he's still here. We took you from him because we didn't know what you were, I'm sorry if we disturbed you."

"Uh, brother, that's kinda weird, to apologize to it…" The second muttered. Lucifer agreed with him, but the fourth didn't pay attention to them.

"I think I understand… Lucifer's wings began to turn black once he began to get angry, especially with Father. I had always taken notice, even when he tried to hide his anger from us." The fourth theorized, making the eldest wince; he had thought he was getting better at hiding his emotions from them. 

"That's what you are, aren't you? You're an amalgamation of Lucifer's wrath- he had so much, he couldn't handle it, and so you were unintentionally created from him."

"Wouldn't an amalgamation imply his wrath would be mixed with something?" The second asked. The fourth nodded in response. 

"That's right, brother, and that mixture is not just of Lucifer as a person himself; it was his wrath _and_ his patience." The fourth explained, holding the now still mass in his arms. 

"How did you come to _that_ conclusion?" Lucifer asked, eyebrows knitting together. "I wasn't even aware that this… Was _forming_ from me."

"Well… He told me."

The second and Lucifer gave pause. 

" _What_?"

"When I grabbed him, I could hear his voice," the fourth insisted. "He was yelling. He's quite angry; angry at Father, angry at the others, angry with Lucifer and himself. From what I can gather, Lu, he's essentially every angry thought you've ever had. 

"They're mostly aimed toward Father, though." The fourth added, solemn understanding on his face. 

"Then… How does patience come into this?" Lucifer asked, fearing that he may already know the answer. 

"Patience is a Virtue, big brother; Wrath is its opposite Sin." 

The temperature of the room dropped along with Lucifer's heart. If this was a being of Wrath, of Sin, then that meant…

"Lu created a being of Sin? Is it even _possible_ for an angel to do that?" The second asked fearfully, knowing that any response could lead to what every angel, no matter how they felt of themselves, feared beyond belief. 

"I don't know, but the fact is that he _did_. His inherent Patience and Wrath was so much for someone like him, a being of Humility, that they mixed together enough to create _this_ being," the fourth held up the mass, "and as time went on, Wrath won out. In Wrath being his primary emotion, he simply needed to wait for Lucifer's patience to forcefully be summoned to release himself from Lu. It's… an odd situation, yes, but it _is_ the situation."

The three angels looked at one another, unsure of what to do now that this was figured out. Finally, the second raised his thoughts, confused as he could possibly be. 

"How're we going to explain this to the others?"

"Don't worry about it, we heard the last half, at least." Came a new voice, causing the three angels and the mass to jump and turn towards Lucifer's door, where the other three brothers had convened. The third was looking at the mess of Lucifer's room in concern, while the fifth and sixth looked concerned in general. 

It made Lucifer worried all on his own. Especially as he noticed how the fifth was holding something within his arms. 

"Don't tell me…" 

"Yes and no," the fifth interjected, showing Lucifer the baby. Wrapped in red blankets, a small tuft of pure black hair on their head, and bright red eyes akin to Lucifer's stared up at him. 

"Father gave us a sister."

"A **_what_**?!" The second and fourth exclaimed. Lucifer was astonished;

"Does that mean we were… Wrong?" He asked, shaking his head. "Is Father _not_ attempting to recreate the Virtues?"

"What if he's caught onto us figuring it out?" The fourth suggested, a hand placatingly rubbing the mass in his hands. Lucifer had the odd urge to take the mass away from him; it was _him_ , after all, or at least _had_ been. "Simeon had his suspicions, there's no reason we should assume Father doesn't know that we do."

"It could be a way to throw us off his trail," the sixth warned, shaking his head. His purple-pink coloured eyes were clouded with his own suspicion. "Or maybe it's even him trying to show that he _knows_ we know; he didn't give any explanation as to why he was 'giving' her to us, just that we needed to take care of her."

Lucifer shook his head, resisting the urge to bare his teeth as if they were fanged. "I've never understood why he insists on calling it _giving_. You don't _give_ people to others."

"Maybe that was his way of disconnecting from us." The third suggested, his head tilted to one side. "You said so yourself, Lu, Father became distant ever since he began creating us. Maybe this was the case all along?"

"That's probable, but it doesn't make any sense." The second insisted, shaking his head. "In fact, none of this does."

"What if we're looking too much into it?" The fifth, shifting their sister in his arms, asked, though he didn't look too sure himself. "What if all this time, we've just been looking too deeply into a situation that isn't even anything?" 

Each of the brothers fell silent, unsure of how to respond to the fifth's questions. In the fourth's arms, the mass began to undulate again, making Lucifer look to it. His anger began to rise (though he noted how his body didn't feel so white-hot as it did, as it had before he even knew of the mass being within - would it be on? - him), despite him speaking calmly. 

"If that is the case, then we've done some irreparable damage in our quest to find out." He said as he looked again to his sister, who was yawning in the fifth's arms. 

"All we can do is raise these little ones and see what happens to us."

" _Ones_? Are you counting that shadowy thing?" The sixth asked, making Lucifer nod. 

"If it's- if he's created a personality of his own just by being borne of my Wrath, then I see no reason as to why we can't teach him our knowledge. He may have no physical form, but he has _form_ , my precious brother." 

The fourth smiled at Lucifer, the sight as dazzling as his father had created it to be. Lucifer nearly smiled back, but fought the urge to.

_We must raise them. Protect them. Teach them._

_If we don't, I fear that we may just lose everything._

* * *

Seven centuries since the second was born. 

Lucifer Morningstar is no more; he is simply Lucifer, his brothers and he no longer angels nor Angelic Virtues. No, they have fallen from their Heaven, have fallen into what is considered a paradise to Hell despite being full of demons. 

The six Angelic Virtues and their one Deadly Sin have fallen. And their sister - Lilith, their poor, poor Lilith - is dead. 

(At least, _angel_ Lilith is dead. 

Lucifer did not want to think of the details right now. 

He was in no good mood with the human world just as he was in no good mood with Heaven.

If he were to be honest, he's in no good mood with Hell, either. He refuses to call this place the Devildom;

No, this is his Hell. But none of them can know why.)

"I was under the impression that there were seven of you." 

The Demon King thinks he's being funny. He's looking to Lucifer, though, and he knows that the royal is simply being an ass to be an ass. There is no other way to put it.

"Our sister died in the War… Sir." Lucifer replies, refusing to call him his King. 

The brothers may be demons now themselves, but he will die before he calls the King his own. 

"There's still seven of us, though," Lucifer's fourth brother pipes up, holding onto his sides. He's in pain, as they all are. Lucifer can guess that his pain is because his wings are molting, turning from being feathered to leathered. The pain to one's wings hurts even when _not_ going through such a process. 

He can't even guess how his third and sixth brothers feel, since their wings were irreparable from the fall. The second's have also become leathered, and the fifth's look more like an insect's rather than even a demon's. Lucifer is sure he is cursing his luck. 

He curses his father as well, instead of prays, that his own wings - now four instead of six - stayed feathered themselves. 

"We can't forget him, Lucifer. He's one of us."

The Demon King hummed, an eyebrow raising. His son, the Demon Prince, Diavolo, stood beside him, and he also looked intrigued. 

Lucifer bit back the bile that formed in his throat. He had to get used to calling the prince his boss. He had sworn his undying, neverending loyalty to him, after all. 

"Where is this seventh, then? Why has he not appeared?"

"He can't… Your Majesty. He's- he's a product of Lucifer's own Wrath, you see. Completely born from his own feelings that his body couldn't handle itself."

From behind the fourth comes the shadowy mass, slowly making his presence known as if unsure of his surroundings. Lucifer is sure he is, given they feel much the same at the same time. He wonders how the fall affected the mass, if it even did at all. 

For some reason, the Demon King became overly excited. 

"Ah, what _have_ we here!" He exclaimed, laughing deeply. "I see you had a secret weapon hidden behind your backs; he's a powerful one, this being."

"He _did_ come from Lucifer." The second groaned, having barely stood himself up from the ground. Steam rolled off his shoulders, the scars in which he had received in battle now beginning to turn white, making Lucifer recall that it had been a whip-like weapon that had created those wounds.

He takes a moment to look around; the third brother is still out cold against the sixth, who looks like he is ready to both drop dead from exhaustion and murder several thousand men. Lucifer feels a chill run down his spine, but he finds that he can't make his hand come out to place atop the brother's head in comfort. For a startling moment, the action feels _beneath_ him, despite the fact that he would die a thousand-fold if it meant his brothers got to live peacefully.

While the third had mostly kept all of his features, his wings have been replaced by a tail; long, serpentine, and as blue as his hair. The sixth, too, has a tail; shorter and thinner, resembling a cow's tail more than anything. The sixth's hair has also changed; much like Lucifer's once was, it is now both white _and_ black, with the black being atop the white. Lucifer can guess as to why. 

The fourth brother also kept his physical features, though now his heavenly beauty is more _ethereal_ rather than heavenly, hinting to a much _darker_ side to him rather than holy. He, as Lucifer and the second, kept his wings, though they are smaller, shorter, and curled towards the ends. They remind Lucifer of an incubus' wings rather than any other demon's. He, too, has a tail though, which is practically a thin black line with a heart-shaped end to it. 

The fifth brother is covered partially by the second's wings, now bat-like, his hands held tightly by him and the sixth. He looks to be in the most pain, though he also looks confused, as if he can't understand why. His wings look like that of a fly's, a fact Lucifer isn't sure how to feel about. The second, as well, has a tail, though it looks like any standard demon's, nothing fancy like the others'. His eyes flit about, unsure of what to focus on. 

(Worst of all, Lucifer can't bring himself to dwell on their heads for too long; for there are horns there, on each of them, but he knows that if he looks, he will be tempted to pry them off. He can't help but want to do it to his own, after all.)

"I see. If that's the case, then why don't we give him a _form_ like Lucifer~?" The King mused, and before anyone can protest - the brothers each barely have time to look up - the Demon King has expended not even a significant amount of magic to bring form to the shadowy mass that was floating beside the fourth. 

Lucifer expected the mass to look like him, physically. He was surprised to find that the both of them looked… Nothing alike at _all_. The form has blonde hair instead of black like Lucifer's, and his eyes are as blue as the underside of a glacier's, seemingly just as cold. He, like them all, has horns, but his tail looks much more natural than they who have one; pitch black, ridged and spined and sharp to the point, green tip nearly oozing a substance from it as if poisonous. Lucifer wonders if it is.

He nearly gets his answer, though, because in the next moment, the mass - no longer a mass, but just as well with no name - lunged at him, causing an uproar about him. 

" _Lucifer_!" His brothers yell. He can hardly hear them over the roar of the mass. 

" ** _I'll kill you; I'll kill him_**!" He yells. At the very least, his voice doesn't sound different from when it did in Heaven. " ** _Don't you stop me_**!"

"Don't!" His fourth brother pleaded, only just barely giving the mass pause. "It's alright! That's just Lucifer!"

"Like **_hell_** it's alright!" The mass snarled, hackles raised. His nails extended into claws, and Lucifer just barely avoided a sideswipe aimed at him. 

" ** _Look at what he's done_**!" 

"My, that turned out even better than expected~!" The King said with glee, laughing as everything abruptly came to a halt. Lucifer could feel magic at the core of the laughter, realizing that the King had performed some sort of spell, somehow, that rendered them all immobile. As much as the other thrashed, nothing could be done but for him to seethe quietly as the King went on. "I like this one's ferocity! A demon of Wrath, indeed!"

At the King's side, Diavolo's eyes narrowed by a fraction for a moment. Lucifer resisted the urge for his own to do the same; something about that phrasing didn't sit right with him, but he couldn't voice what it was. 

"I've decided, then, for you brothers; you all can join my kingdom." The King chuckled still, slapping his knee. "You've brought me entertainment, so I'll provide you hospitality. 

"So long as you agree to my terms, of course."

"What terms do you mean?" The second asked, far too curious for his own good. 

"This; I am going to rename you all, and give you new titles, and you'll all be your own very own ruler of the Devildom!" The King clapped, spreading his hands. "Of course, you'll be under my son, still, but you'll be above every other demon who resides here! Think of it as being Diavolo's own private guard, in a sense."

"Why?" The fourth groaned, trying desperately to move as well. He kept looking between Lucifer and the mass, like he wanted to go to them both. 

_He always has been the one most concerned with him. I wonder why._

"Why do you do this? What have we done for you?" 

The King sat back in his throne, spreading his hands. At his side, Diavolo's expression was neutral (though when he met Lucifer's eyes, it became a bit apologetic; _Lucifer_ was supposed to be the one under a master, not the others). "I admit, it takes guts to stand up to a god; even more so when they're your father. To know that you nearly succeeded in the war as well… Well, you can say that I've stumbled upon a very good power group, here.

"So! You, second brother there, I'll use you first: I, the Demon Lord of the Devildom, revoke your title as the Angelic Virtue of Charity. I change your name to Mammon, and give you the title of the Demonic Avatar of Greed. I can see the sins you've given into, and Greed stands most prominently above all. I entrust you'll take your new position seriously, and leave you to figure out its perks." 

The second - Lucifer's brother, _his first brother_ \- shuddered violently for a moment, tears welling up in his eyes, and Lucifer wanted so desperately to go to his side. This was his **_Pride_** the Demon King was messing with, his _family_ was his **_Pride_** , and how _dare_ he-!

 _Oh. Oh, no, no, **no**._ Lucifer thought. His heart felt as if it were being ripped from his chest as he watched his second, third of them all, brother's eyes open, hardly even able to take in his new surroundings before the King spoke again. 

"To you, third brother, I give the name Leviathan, Demonic Avatar of Envy. As with Mammon, I can see your sins, and Envy is what plagues you most. Take your domain, as your demon forefather before you, and do what you will with it. 

"Now, _you_ ," the King said suddenly, pointing to the mass that had attacked Lucifer, "you shall be the fourth brother. You may be the youngest, but your power is significant enough that I warrant it to be placed higher than your age. You will be Satan, Demonic Avatar of Wrath, as it was decided for you by the circumstances of your creation. I look forward to seeing how you fare with this new form."

The mass - Satan, as he was now named, which Lucifer could only use since he had no other name - bared his fangs to the King, but said no more on the matter, instead turning away. Lucifer had no idea of what to make of the reaction; what was he to do?

"That, understandably, knocks you three down the notches of the brotherly ladder," the King addressed the last three, mockingly pitying them. "However, it's no matter! There will simply be seven brothers now instead of six; the more the merrier, I'd say~

"So, to you, the new fifth brother, I name you Asmodeus, no longer of Chastity but of Lust. You Lust for many, but not just people; you desire much, and for that, I grant you all that you desire. You won't have to work for it; not too hard, anyway. 

"To the new sixth, the tallest of you," the King referred to the twins now, looking at the one who had first held Lilith in his arms. "I hear your hunger from here, and thus you are Beelzebub, Lord of Flies, Avatar of Gluttony. You will consume all, yet still crave more.

"And finally, you seventh, you who fell harder than those before you; you are Belphegor of Sloth, condemned to your Sin as you have condemned yourself."

 _What could he mean by that? What has my brother condemned himself to?_ Lucifer wondered.

"Wait! You can't forget Lucifer!" The third yelled out, startled by the situation but still looking out for his brother. Lucifer's heart felt like it wanted to wrench itself out of his chest; in a way, to have his younger brother look out for him both stroked his ego and wounded it; and in a way, it made Lucifer feel like he was a failure, like he wasn't _worthy_ enough to be noticed by the Demon King.

"I have not," the King said placatingly, the only moment his voice ever sounded soft. Looking to the red eyed former angel, the King grinned, as if most amused by Lucifer. 

"I won't change your name, child of Heaven," he told him, the not-gentle smile still unwavering. "I have always been as neutral as possible, when it came to taking sides during Heaven's battles- I refused to expose a side, because I was torn. Do I stand to my own beliefs, or do I stand by the one I am separate to? Do I stand _against_ him? I could never truly decide, so I carefully made sure to never give a side in which I was not already handed. But now, to show where I stand, I will let you keep your name, son of your god, as a way to not only relish in your sins, but to show that father of yours that you will not be returning to him. You can't, anyway; not with the gravity of your actions. This is your consequence, the last punishment you will be given for what you have done, and in turn, I will grant you the gift of stripping you of your title as the Angelic Virtue of Humility, and instead title you the Demonic Avatar of Pride. Your Pride in believing in your own strength is what undid you as an angel, so let it build you as a demon."

 _"Pride in my own strength?" My strength was with my **brothers**._ Lucifer wanted to yell, to scream aloud and protest, as he always had against the authourity above him.

(He supposes he can attribute to his Pride, now. He at least has the answer to a question that has haunted him for some while.)

_It isn't my nature to be given orders. **I** am my own master, and my brothers are my Pride! _

_…That very Pride is what caused this._

His last thought - which is, at its core, the blaming of himself for putting them in this situation, of forcing them into new forms, turning them all into something they, by nature, weren't, even for Satan - is what makes him bite his tongue. He has no room, no footing, to complain, here. 

After all, Diavolo himself did not have to agree to take him in, when he had fallen with Lilith in his garden. And the King _especially_ did not have to agree to taking his brothers in as well, in giving them names and titles and standing within this new world of theirs. 

If Lucifer protested now, he would only cause them all to fall even deeper than they have, to truly be on their own. At least here, within the Devildom, they wouldn't have to be alone; they could integrate with other demons, be above those they were stronger than and mesh with those they were equal to. 

Biting his tongue and swallowing his Pride was all he could do to save his brothers and himself now. 

**_I never wanted it to be this way. If only I could say how much I never wanted this to happen._ **

* * *

Lucifer is back home to the House of Lamentation late, countless centuries since the second - since Mammon - was born. Since he was entrusted, burdened, gifted, to Lucifer.

Lucifer still, even now, no longer considers children a burden, both largely and personally. 

No, _Mammon_ was the one burdened that day; burdened to, by, and because of Lucifer. 

_If I could apologize now and have you all believe it, I would._

_I am so sorry._

_Lilith would never have wanted this either. I failed all of you._

He opens the door to the large black mansion, expecting the bustling of his brothers to greet him instead of the silence. It's odd, and it puts the same fear into him as he had the day when the fourth - Asmodeus, now fifth as ranked by the Demon King, who had long now since gone to slumber for eternity - was born. Normally, by now, Mammon would be yelling at Satan, the now fourth, over some useless fact Satan would give him from a book he had read, with Beelzebub, the sixth, too busy scarfing food down his throat to notice, with his twin the seventh, Belphegor, either on Satan's side or watching Beel, one of the few times he would be awake. Leviathan the third would be holed away in his room, too obsessed with his games and shows to worry himself with Mammon and Satan's quarrels. Asmodeus himself would be busy trying to quiet the boys down, claiming such loud noise was bad for his ears, for what beauty would he be with bleeding ears? 

_You are not the same. I feel as though you're entirely new people._

_It's my fault. I alone should have changed. I never should have dragged you into my fight._

_-No matter what, however, I still love you all._

_I will never let go of my promise to protect you all from **anyone**._

Traipsing all through the house, Lucifer was damn near ready to burst back into the night and search for his brothers on foot when he finally found them in a back corner of the house, in one of the old sittings rooms that they hardly ever used; the front of the house was all that was used, after all, so there wasn't any reason for them to use this side if not playing around or being mischievous. When he burst into the room, ready to give his brothers the worst piece of his mind he could think of, he found a scene he hadn't seen since their time in the Celestial Realm, a time so very long ago. 

The back room was filled with little more than some chests of drawers, a large cabinet for storage, a shelf or two full of books, a tv and a plain couch. On that couch were the six others that Lucifer so - proudly, hesitantly, angrily - called his family, all stacked next to each other and facing the tv that aimlessly played. Each of them resting on the shoulder of another, with Mammon being in the middle (Lucifer didn't know this even now, but he insisted on always being in the middle when the brothers were side by side, so as he could keep an eye on all of them just by turning either way), they were all sleeping peacefully. Asmo was laying on Satan, who had an arm protectively around his waist; in turn, Satan was on Mammon's left, hand loosely in his second eldest brother's; to Mammon's right, looking uncomfortable despite _being_ comfortable due to how he was leaning down to fit, was Beelzebub, who also had his hand loosely being held by Mammon; and on Beel's shoulder was Belphegor, one arm looped through Beel's free one and his own free arm holding onto the cow-patterned pillow Lucifer had given him back when they first moved into the House, as a way to try to calm him down (for back then, he constantly had nightmares, and the pillow was something Lucifer had thought of on the fly for when Belphie was home alone and nobody could comfort him). 

He knows that, were she still here, Lilith would have been at Belphie's right, within his arm instead of his pillow. 

The thought hurts Lucifer more than he would like to admit. 

All of them entranced in whatever dreams they were having, they didn't stir even as Lucifer came to turn the tv off, standing in front of them for a moment to bask in the moment. 

_You all have changed so much, become so different;_

_And yet, you are the same as ever._

One by one, Lucifer gently picked up each of his brothers and carried them to their respective rooms, thanking his luck that none of them awoke as he did so. Of them all, Levi was the only one to stir slightly so far, his fall making him jumpy and a light sleeper in case something ever should happen to himself. 

Lucifer didn't blame him for it, but he was glad that Levi's _attack first, ask questions_ _later_ attitude (which Lucifer had also developed, ironically enough) didn't affect him today. 

Finally, Lucifer came back to the room, Mammon the last of the brothers left to put to bed. He had always been one to sleep heavy; Lucifer recalled all the times he had marched himself to his room in the Celestial Realm, had had to drag him from his bed to get him to awaken. 

Lucifer knew those days, while still happening, would never come back to them as they had been before. 

Bending down to pick him up, Lucifer had just gotten his arms around him when Mammon's arms tightened around him as well, the sudden feeling making Lucifer want to push him away, his instincts yelling that he was about to be attacked. His heart, however, was not so foolish. 

_Mammon would never hurt me. He can't._

"Did I wake you?" Lucifer asked of him, genuinely worried. He had been sure the second was asleep the entire time, sure that he hadn't been disturbed. 

Nodding, Mammon buried his head into Lucifer's neck, grip again tightening around him. As Lucifer set an arm out to steady himself against the couch, he realized that Mammon was shaking in his arms; _What in the hell-?_

"I've been worried since we fell that you suddenly hated us. Now I know that all you hated was _you_." 

Lucifer felt a brief pain in his chest, his hand on the sofa tensing as he battled to not fall over. 

"Please don't be hard on yourself, Lu; we all changed, but we just have to make the best of it."

Mammon pulled back, his blue and gold eyes meeting Lucifer's bright red ones. 

Those very same eyes that had changed Lucifer's heart so long ago were now welled up with tears, empathy shining through. 

"I know you hate this more than anyone, but please don't push us away in the process." Mammon was nearly sobbing, but he brought his forehead to Lucifer's own, holding his face in his hands. 

"We promised them; we, as the two oldest, would protect them from anyone.

"What you didn't know is that I swore to myself that I'd protect _you_ , too."

Not trusting himself to act any other way, Lucifer brings Mammon closer to him, his head resting on the second's shoulder so he didn't have to face him. Lucifer brought a hand to his grey-white hair, and he held him close as the other quietly cried into him; there was nothing more he could do. Nothing more his Pride _allowed_ him to do. 

_My Pride is with you all, and yet I can't even stop that from punishing you when you need comfort._

"I don't wanna sleep alone tonight, Lu." Mammon mumbled into his shoulder, voice weak and tinny. "It's why the others came in here with me."

 _So that's what this is about,_ Lucifer thought, sadness extending to his brother. _Your thoughts got the better of you, and you worried yourself nearly to death._

"Sleep with me, then."

There wasn't much else said. Lucifer was offering, not being asked. Nor was he relenting, in all technicality. 

His Pride is fickle, but it works in his favour, sometimes. 

Collecting Mammon to him, Lucifer brings him out of the room and into the part of the House his own is in, pushing his door open with ease. He decides to keep it open, should the others awaken - as Beel often does, due to his insatiable hunger - and decide to join them. He gently deposits his brother on his large bed, taking only a moment to put himself into night clothes before he joins him.

Mammon is immediately putting his head on Lucifer's chest, confining the eldest to laying on his back. Lucifer doesn't have the heart to move him, nor does he really want to. Instead, he brings his hand back to Mammon's head, fingers gently playing with the white strands. 

_I'm sorry, Mammon,_ he wants to say. He can't; his lips can't even form the words. 

"I know. Don't be." Mammon replies anyway, voice muffled just slightly. "I've never blamed you. You did what you had to, and we followed after because of our own choices. We all chose a side."

The two oldest brothers fell silent, the only sounds being the fan above Lucifer's bed turning. Mammon's shoulders still shake, but his tears have dried, for where he lays on his chest, Lucifer's shirt doesn't have any wet spots. 

"None of us blame you. Not even Satan does, no matter how mad he gets and says he does; and not even Belphie, either."

Lucifer almost wishes Mammon would stop talking. He doesn't know how to handle this information, and information unhandled is information unneeded. 

"Father may have created us with some other purpose in mind, but trust me, we chose what to do for ourselves in the War. And our choice was _you_. 

"That's who we were meant for, after all."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you SO much if you read all the way to the end not only are you a gift to mankind you are stronger than any fuckin US Marine and I commend you for focusing on this for so long
> 
> If there are ANY questions, PLEASE ask; I INTENTIONALLY left things partially or half explained for a reason, bc the original intent was SOLELY just to be Lucifer meeting each brother for the first time, but I got wildly carried away, obviously. I'm happy to explain anythin in depth in the comments, tho ! Just gimme some time to get to them ;;u;; am literally so exhausted. I've never focused on a fic so thoroughly, not even for my DQ fic I've got up
> 
> (The only explanations I'll give rn are; their dad's an ass, the Demon King is somewhat of an ass, Lucifer's favourites are Mammon and Asmo, and I intentionally dont name them until they're demons bc I read that they were named after the actual Biblical demons themselves, and I like to think that even here, those demons DO exist, and the boys were just given their names bc of similarities the Demon King and their father (in regards to Lucifer) saw between them  
> Also Satan is listed as the youngest bc in canon and on the wiki, hes said to have been born after the twins, I just made the same day he separated from Lucifer the same day Lilith was born, too)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed readin, tho !!! If you liked it, pls leave a kudos and comment, it would mean sm to me :D !!!!!! I always try to respond to comments !!


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